1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to automatic labeling systems, and more specifically to inflation apparatus for inflating or pressurizing containers to be labelled with such systems.
2. Related Art
Many different labeling apparatus have been previously constructed. One such machine is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,703 issued to Avery International Corporation, the predecessor in interest to the Assignee of the present invention, the specification and drawings of which is incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus disclosed therein is known as the Model 7005. The Model 7005 can side label, top label, three panel label, front and back label and also can wrap-around label a round bottle or other round product.
In many labeling applications, an empty bottle or other container, to be filled later, passes before a label applicator station where a suitable label is applied to the container. Typically, a minimum amount of pressure is used by the applicator when applying the label to the container to adequately adhere the label to the container. A considerable amount of pressure can be applied when applying labels to rigid containers such as glass bottles and the like. However, many product suppliers use plastic containers to decrease the weight of the product as marketed and to avoid the use of glass, which has a potential for breaking.
To reduce material cost and to provide a more light weight container, many product suppliers are using plastic containers having smaller and smaller wall thicknesses. As the container wall thickness decreases, the maximum labeling pressure that can be applied to the wall of the container, without causing the container to collapse, buckle or otherwise change shape, also decreases. Where the pressure necessary to adequately apply a label to a container is greater than the buckling pressure for the container wall, other means must be provided for either preventing buckling of the container wall or for applying a label with less pressure.
One solution, in a method and apparatus for decorating bottles and the like at high speeds, uses a continuously rotating turret wherein bottles are inflated through a nozzle lowered into the neck of the bottle. Raising and lowering of the inflating nozzle and the flow of inflating air is controlled by special valving apparatus. Such an apparatus uses a different approach for transporting, labeling and inflating the bottles than the apparatus and method to which the current invention is directed.
There is a need therefore for an inflation apparatus for use in a labeling machine for placing labels on containers while the containers are moved linearly. There is also a need for an inflation apparatus for a labeling machine which achieves inflation of the containers without inserting any apparatus into the container opening.
There is further a need for an inflation apparatus which can be easily retrofit onto existing labeling apparatus such as those having linear container transport and an overhead hold-down assembly. These needs are met by the present invention.